I thought we would bring up to more recent dat some of the material supplied to you in our last correspondance 2 years ago on mountain lions in West Virginia.

In Feb, 2006 tracks of an adult & cubmountain lion were found, made into plaster casts and identified by Wildlife Biologist Jon Vinroot & Canadian Wildlife Biologist Gerry Parker, author of a 1994 book entitled "The Eastern Panther - Mystery Cat of the Appalachians".

There is also a videotape of a confirmed black panther which was filmed in SW Pendleton Co, WV in January, 2005 by a farmer Jason Bowers.

Additional tracks of a confirmed mountain lion were found in the Smoke Hole Wilderness Area of Grant County, an ideal habitat which has long been rumored to have mountain lions and black panthers as inhabitants for over 100 years.

We also publish a flyer entitled, "All You Need To Know About Native Mountain Lions, Pumas, Black Panthers" which details major highlights to warn people how to avoid contact with one of these great American Lions. If interested, a copy will be sent for use in advising website readers, how to avoid a confrontation with one of these elusive large cats.

No, we do not have any pictures of Richwood to share, but we do have a great interest in the big cats called mountain lions, cougars, pumas or black panthers.

We have conducted hundreds of field searches & found some evidence as to the presence of big cats in Wild, Wonderful WV.

Since 1975, more than 300 sightings have been recorded in our beautiful state.

Approx. 65% of all reports are from credible witnesses with backgrounds in law enforcement, game management or forestry. In other words, they are credible reports.

Tracks of confirmed cougars have been found in Grant & Pendleton Counties within the last 2 years.

In 1870, a 6 year old boy was attacked & killed by a "rogue" panther in Randolph County, WV.

The majority of WV sightings are along the Appalachian Mountain Range in the eastern part of the state.

In early April, the Virginia Game & Inland Fisheries Dept. published for the 1st time a list of 29 counties where cougar sightings have been frequently reported. The majority of Va counties with the most reports border West Virginia.

We are in the process of writing up & publishing a complete list of the most credible reports in West Virginia for the period of 1920s thru 2005.

We publish a data based flyer entitled, "All You Need To Know About The Native Eastern Cougar". If interetsed in a copy, send us a mailing address.

Where: Mountain Lion Country. These large, powerful lions or mountain cats are shy and avoid humans, you could live, your entire lifetime in Lion or mountain cats country and never see one.
When: 2004
Photographer: Billybob
Photo submitted by: Billybob

Some Appalachian stories tell of these big cats sighting in West Virginia and Cats screaming like a woman at night in the Monongahela National Forest and the Mountains and counties surrounding Nicholas County.